Contents

The (Church) Mouse March, 2017

...excerpts from the monthly newsletter of the First Presbyterian Church of Yellville, Arkansas

Marion County Singing Convention March 18-19

The Marion County Singing Convention has been enjoyed for over 80 years! The spring convention will be held at Cedar Grove Methodist Church on Saturday, March 18th at 7:00 p.m., and Sunday, March 19th at 1:30 p.m.

There will be good old fashioned gospel singing, new songs of the day, singers and instrumentalists—there will be something for everyone to enjoy!! Come join in the congregational singing, share a special song or just enjoy listening!!

JOY Group to Attend Movie: The Shack

Joy Group will go see the movie “The Shack” for our March event. It is scheduled to open the first Week in March. Stay tuned for more information!

Circle of Peace Construction Begins!

Work has begun on our labyrinth located on the east side of our church. The name of our labyrinth is “Circle of Peace”. One of the features of the design incorporates divine symbols of a circle divided by a cross.

A labyrinth is a walking meditation, a walk of prayer with a path that leads from the outer edge in a circular pattern to the center. There are no tricks to it or dead ends. Unlike a maze where you lose your way, the labyrinth is a spiritual tool that can help you find your way. It is a journey to come closer to God.

Interesting labyrinth facts: (thanks Becky!)

Labyrinths exist all over the world.

A maze and a labyrinth are not the same.

The labyrinth symbolically represents a pilgrimage to the Holy Land and a search for personal enlightenment.

The Labyrinth Society provides a locator for registered labyrinths all over the world.

There are labyrinths in church yards, city parks and on hospital and hospice grounds.

The earliest labyrinth used in a Christian church dates to the 4th century in Algeria.

The most famous labyrinth is at Chartres Cathedral in France.

Walking the labyrinth one loses track of direction and of the outside world to quiet the mind. It also shifts awareness from the right brain to the left brain.

Consider A Three-Day Experience of a Lifetime!

A Presbyterian Pilgrimage Weekend is not just “another retreat”. No, it is a part of a personal spiritual journey. At a Weekend, you can experience a deepened relationship with Christ, which can continue growing and last a lifetime.

Pilgrimage Weekends provide an opportunity to:

meet Christ face-to-face;

to begin to understand Christ’s love, grace, forgiveness; and

to become even more alive in your faith, with a renewed sense of hope and purpose.

But there’s more: Weekends are a lot of fun, too! More information here.

Women's Ministry Active in March

Happy St. Patricks Day! Our next Ladies Gathering will be Friday, March 17 at noon for St. Pats Day. We will have a baked potato bar furnished and ask that you bring a salad or dessert. Wear your "green" and come enjoy good food and fellowship. Bring a friend!

Women's Ministry is collecting aluminum cans. (such as vegetables or fruit come in) Last year we made 100
goodie bags for the Yellville Food Closet for Christmas. This year during the month of December, they had over
300 children come through and ran out of the goodie bags. This year we will be decorating these aluminum cans
and hope to be able to double what we donated last year. Please deposit clean, label free cans in the flowered bin
in the kitchen. This will be an ongoing collection until we reach our desired amount of cans.

On March 23 at 5:00 p.m., we will be providing dinner for the Grief Support Group that meets
regularly at our church. There are approximately 10 in the group. If you can provide a main dish, salad, bread or
dessert, or you are able to help serve and clean up please contact Kay.